


Revelry

by athenasdragon



Category: Uprooted - Naomi Novik
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/M, Modern AU, there's a hint of future Nieshka/Sarkan but they're still in the annoying each other stage
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-24
Updated: 2017-07-24
Packaged: 2018-12-06 05:57:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11594343
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/athenasdragon/pseuds/athenasdragon
Summary: The Dragon crashes Agnieszka's end-of-finals party to accuse her of stealing a plant.





	Revelry

In one apartment in Kralia, a few blocks from the university, a party was in full swing.

A person standing in the cobbled street below might be able to look up and see pulses of colored light, overlaid with a soft golden glow, emanating from the three large windows of the apartment’s living room. They might also be able to hear the bassline of the music reverberating inside.

What they wouldn’t be able to see was Kasia, arms bronze and toned from fencing and carrying around stacks of biochemistry textbooks, leaning against the doorframe. She was the de facto bouncer of every party she attended—policing the creepy frat boys and occasional high school students who tried to sneak in and get wasted. Her blonde hair was in a high ponytail and her flannel was tied around her waist, leaving her tank top to bare her arms, crossed in a slight flex.

Nor would they be able to see Agnieszka, carefully gathering her plants from around the apartment and moving them to the bathroom, where she let them trail from the sink and slouch into the bathtub and rest in the dark of the cabinets (for those plants that did better in low light). She huffed as her wild hair fell into her face and made room on the windowsill for an orchid she had just deemed hardy enough to bring home from the greenhouse.

Of course, the people inside the apartment couldn’t see much more. The rooms were lit only by several strings of color-changing fairy lights and the glowing golden bubbles Agnieszka had conjured near the ceiling. In typical college party fashion, everyone clumped together in the dark, drinking from plastic cups and shouting over the music and swaying a little.

Agnieszka emerged from the bathroom and gathered her hair into a bun. “I still think we should have done a bonfire in the woods,” she told Kasia. “No one really has fun at these things.”

“You’re the only one who wanted to hike all the way out there,” Kasia reminded her. “Not everyone likes sitting in the woods at night.”

“It’s fun!”

“Don’t you spend enough time out there collecting samples?”

Agnieszka shrugged, tugging her sweater back up onto her shoulder. “That’s usually in the non-fun part of the woods. You know, the part that’s rotting and we don’t know why. And the Dragon is usually there.”

Kasia snorted. “You’ve finally decided on a nickname? Let me guess: he breathes fiery insults?”

“Is it that obvious?” Agnieszka shrugged again, a few strands of her hair already springing loose from her bun. “I don’t care, it fits. Just because he’s a grad student, he acts like he runs the lab. He didn’t even specialize in botany—he studied magical theory, but _no_ , suddenly he’s more qualified than the girl who spent her entire childhood wandering around those woods.”

“Running around studying them at a cellular level with an advanced understanding of botany?” Kasia laughed at Agnieszka’s responding glare. They both had to move as someone stumbled past them and into the bathroom, and Agnieszka wrinkled her nose.

“I hope they don’t puke on my plants.”

“Oh hey, by the way, speaking of magical theory,” Kasia started, speaking slightly louder as a new song came on in the next room, “you remember Sarkan’s friend you introduced me to? Alosha?”

“Founder of the blacksmithing club? She’s pretty memorable.”

“We have a date next week.”

“Oh wow, congratulations!” Agnieszka grinned. “Hey, she can forge you some sweet non-regulation fencing foils I bet.”

“Or some actual swords.”

“Yeah, or that. Try not to kill anyone please.”

“No promises.”

Just as it was becoming almost impossible to hear—was someone in the next room slowly turning up the volume on the music _again_ —there was a knock at the door. Kasia pushed off from the frame and cracked the door open, then quickly shut it.

“Who was that?”

“Uh,” Kasia said, “did you invite Sarkan?”

“Did I _what_?”

Agnieszka ripped open the door, and sure enough, Sarkan was standing in the dimly-lit hallway, arms crossed, scowling. His dark blue shirt was so pressed it was almost comical, especially considering that it was after midnight on a Saturday. His annoyed façade slipped for a fraction of a second as the door banged open to reveal Agnieszka, but his eyebrows quickly lowered again.

“Celebrating already? Shouldn’t you be studying for your last final on Wednesday?”

“I _did_ study, and I have plenty of time to study still, and it’s not really any of your business!”

Sarkan’s scowl deepened. “Regardless. May I come in?”

“Why?” Realizing her response was probably a little sharp, even for him, Agnieszka sighed. “Look, I really doubt this is the kind of thing you’d enjoy.”

Sarkan sniffed. “Just because you’ve only ever seen me in an academic environment, it doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy some occasional revelry.”

“Yeah, not really a party aimed at people who say ‘revelry’ unironically, but I guess you can come in since you’re already here.”

“How gracious of you.”

* * *

 

“I have to say, I’m not particularly enjoying this.”

Agnieszka snorted into her cup. She had been drinking steadily since Sarkan got there in an attempt to overcome the awkwardness of his presence in any social situation, but it wasn’t really working. Sarkan, on the other hand, had taken one sip of boxed white wine—the classiest drink being offered—grimaced, and put down his cup for the remainder of the evening.

“Anything in particular you wanted, or did you just catch wind of the _revelry_?” Agnieszka shouted over the music. “Because no one’s making you stay.”

Sarkan said something unintelligible, glared at the speakers, and then tried again. “I actually came to see if you were the one who took my orchid from the greenhouse.”

“Your orchid? I’ve been hand-mixing its nutrient formula since it germinated!” Agnieszka protested, sloshing a little of her drink onto the floor as she gestured forcefully. “Singing it growth spells every morning, charming away the flies—if that orchid belongs to anyone, it’s me.” She pointed tipsily at herself for emphasis.

“It belongs to the university, technically, and it’s part of my research.”

“What—what research? You haven’t been doing anything to it!”

Sarkan shook his head, an insufferable smirk creeping onto his face. “No, but _you’ve_ been doing things to it, and I think I’m close to getting a handle on your brand of magic.”

Agnieszka groaned and allowed her head to fall back. They were both leaning against the windowsill, so her head connected with the glass with a hollow _thud_. She let it rest there while she watched her enchanted bubbles bob along the ceiling, even though she could feel her hair sliding out of its bun. It was past worth trying to salvage at this point anyway.

“I’m not your ex—experiment, Sarkan. We’re supposed to be working on the problem in the woods.”

“And I am, of course! If anything, I think understanding your magic would help with that problem, since it’s so tied to growth and healing and nature.”

“Listen. Just—just because—” Agnieszka sat back up and jabbed a finger at her research partner, and if her words were starting to slur a little bit, it was definitely her frustration with him and not the vodka and cranberry juice she had been nursing since he arrived. “ _Just_ because you’re very attractive and make me feel confused about being angry at you all the time, does mean—no, it _doesn’t_ mean that—please stop making that face, it’s distracting—doesn’t mean that you just get to boss me around and take notes on my magic and steal my orchid that I just found a nice spot for in the bathroom to stop people puking on it!”

Sarkan paused, mouth open, clearly unsure how to respond. After a moment he cleared his throat. “Right. Okay, you’re clearly drunk, I don’t think this conversation is going anywhere.”

“And neither is the orchid!”

“All right, I’m just going to—”

“Yeah, I think you are,” Kasia said firmly as she appeared out of the crowd.

Sarkan frowned, tugged at the sleeve of his shirt, and stood up, at which moment he realized that he stood a head shorter than Kasia. Caught in the glares of the apartment’s two residents, he shook his head and pushed away through the crowd.

“Was he bugging you?” Kasia asked Agnieszka as soon as she made sure Sarkan had actually left.

Her roommate sighed and leaned back against the window once more. “No more than usual. I just don’t know what to do about him.”

Kasia sat down next to her and Agnieszka immediately slumped over to rest her head on Kasia’s shoulder. “You’ll figure something out, Nieshka. Maybe something involving turning him into a toad.”

“That’s actually frowned-upon,” Agnieszka explained, her tone equal parts matter-of-fact and sleepy.

Kasia smiled indulgently. “Oh, I see. Well, maybe I’ll take a sword to him sometime.”

“That’s probably allowed.”

“Hey, what do you say we get you to bed? I think some sleep would do you good.”

Agnieszka nodded and allowed her muscular roommate to pull her to her feet and towards the hallway. There were people in the bedroom, too, but at least it would be a little quieter. As the two shuffled past the bathroom, Agnieszka let out an indignant squeak.

“What, what’s wrong? Did I step on your foot?”

“No, that son of a bitch took my orchid!”


End file.
